The bill, which aims to remove the increase in the legal retirement age to 64, arrives in committee on Wednesday. The majority is counting on the votes of the Republicans to block it.
Like a remake of the pension debate, on a smaller scale. “We are witnessing a little media game, with a government that tends to dramatize the issues”, criticizes the deputy LR Yannick Neuder. Once again, the presidential camp is counting on the Republican deputies to protect the pension reform from the attacks of the opposition, led by the Liot group. Bertrand Pancher’s 21 deputies want to remove the flagship measure of government reform, adopted by 49.3, namely raising the legal retirement age to 64, during their parliamentary niche on June 8 . Before that, the text must be debated and voted on in the Social Affairs Committee, Wednesday May 31.
The majority relies heavily on this first step to remove article 1 of the bill on the return of retirement at 62 and force the Liot group to reintroduce this article in the form of an amendment. The goal ? Then allow the President of the National Assembly to declare this amendment inadmissible, under Article 40 of the Constitution, and therefore prevent the Palais-Bourbon from voting on it. “It is a mortal blow if this bill passes”confided to franceinfo a leader of the majority.
“Very indecisive on the subject”
To implement this plan, Emmanuel Macron’s supporters therefore turn to the eight LR deputies of the Social Affairs Committee. The balance of power there is quite tenuous. The majority has 32 seats, the opposition has 40, including these 8 right-wing deputies. They are therefore the ones who have the fate of the text in their hands. What will they do ? Franceinfo asked them all, five responded.
Unsurprisingly, the two reputed “Macron compatible” deputies, Philippe Juvin and Alexandre Vincendet, announce that they will vote against Liot’s bill. “I will be the speaker of the group and obviously, I will vote against the text”, confirms Philippe Juvin. The latter is confident in the rejection of the text. Alexandre Vincendet is also decided: “I have tabled amendments to delete the bill in committee and I am obviously against this text, being in favor of pension reform.”
Yannick Neuder, deputy for Isère, and close to Laurent Wauquiez, assures him that he did not agree with “the methods used” by the government or with the use of 49.3 but that“we must save the pay-as-you-go system”. It will therefore remain “consistent” and will oppose the Liot bill, whose method he criticizes. “If we table a bill to cancel what Parliament voted a few months ago, we seize up the system.”
“I tell my LR colleagues to be careful. We must not dig the hole of division because this bill will have no consequences. Even if it were passed, it would immediately fall into the abyss of the Senate. .”
Yannick Neuder, LR deputy for Isèreat franceinfo
Among these eight LR deputies, three elected however voted Liot’s motion of censure against the government: Josiane Corneloup, Justine Gruet and Isabelle Valentin. “I am for my part very unfavorable to a legal age”delivers the latter, while explaining being “very indecisive” concerning the Liot bill. The opposition automatically counts them in its camp but nothing is less certain, thus assures a party source. “Do not deduce, because they voted for the motion of censure, that they will automatically vote for the bill. They are opposed to the pension reform, but there are some who also say that it is a blow of com of Liot.”
“We are afraid that it will not pass”
Even if these three deputies voted for the text, the balance of power within the commission would be as follows: 35 votes for the opposition and 35 for the majority. So equality. There remain two LR deputies, Stéphane Viry and Thibault Bazin, who were also responsible for the text on pension reform for their party. The latter were not enthusiastic about the reform of the government, but not to the point of voting for the motion of censure.
Asked by franceinfo, Thibault Bazin announces that he would not have voted for Liot’s text, “a publicity stunt that will not be followed up, and which is not a credible alternative proposal”but that he will be absent in committee on Wednesday. “I am speaking at the same time for the group in committee on water and sanitation laws”, he justifies. According to our information, he could be replaced by the president of the group, Olivier Marleix, in favor of the pension reform, without the president of the LR group having confirmed it to franceinfo for the moment. In any case, it would be one more vote for the majority. Stéphane Viry did not respond to our requests.
In the opposition, we have few illusions. “We are afraid that it will not pass and that we will lose in commission”we sigh in the ranks of the Liot group, while insisting: “It is not she who will decide but the National Assembly, on June 8.” On the left too, hopes are low.
“In committee, we do not have the LRs most unfavorable to the reform, it is not impossible that we do not have a majority.”
A figure from the leftat franceinfo
“In committee, it’s not sure that we win, while in session, yes”, continues this figure from the left. Unless Yaël Braun-Pivet effectively declares the potential amendment to reintroduce the opposition inadmissible. The soap opera on pensions continues, once again.